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Book review: Both Ways is the Only Way I Want it by Maile Meloy

This is a short story collection where each story focuses on a character that is facing a hard decision in their life- all concerning love be it new or lost. I found this an enjoyable read, but it didn't completely blow me away. A lot of the stories where brief snippets that had no conclusion which slightly frustrated me, as it felt like they ended too abruptly. I liked the fact a lot of the stories where set in cold snowy Winters. I felt like the environment the characters were in got a lot of attention which really helped set the scene. The different characters kept the stories interesting, although mostly all of the stories were very straight forward ordinary life situations. My favourites were 'Travis, B' about a lonely young farmer who falls in love with a lawyer, 'The Girlfriend', about a father trying to find out how his daughter had been murdered, 'Liliana', about a rich eccentric old lady presumed dead that turns up at her grandsons house, and 'O Tannenbaum', about a family that pick up a hitchhiking couple at Christmas named Bonnie and Clyde. Overall, I would recommend the book as an easy and enjoyable read. 3.5/5

"His heart felt dangerously full, for the first time in years. That dried up, battered organ, suddenly flush with love. It could kill him."